Dogs seem to have an insatiable appetite for chewing on things. However, some things, such as sticks and brittle bones, are often not good for dogs. Dogs, being dogs, do not seem to understand this. To provide dogs with acceptable substitutes, many different products, such as rawhide chews, have been developed. Although rawhide chews do not have the drawbacks of sticks and brittle bones, they may not be healthful for the dog. For example, some rawhide chews are processed using chemicals which may be harmful to the dog.
Beef processing plants operate under very tight margins. To make a profit, all parts of the animal must be used. Cattle hooves, being a hardened form of a gelatinous material, are often rendered to a gelatinous consistency for further use. However, it has been found that cattle hooves are highly esteemed by dogs for chewing. Since the hooves are over half protein, if processed correctly cattle hooves can be a safe and nutritious dog chew.
Cleaned and sterilized cattle hooves, shown in FIG. 1, were originally marketed in the United Kingdom. It, however, looks just like what it is, a cattle hoof, and thus met with some consumer resistance. Also, the upper edges of the hoof were usually somewhat thin and had a tendency to break off. The thin upper edges could also become wedged between the dog's teeth. To make the product more marketable, from both aesthetic and safety standpoints, a small slice, approximately 3/8" thick, was removed from the bottom of the hoof. A parallel cut was also made to remove the top of the hoof. The result was a dog chew product, about 8/10" thick, shown in FIG. 2. This product did not look so much like a cattle hoof and removed much of the thin upper edge and thus at least partially overcame the deficiencies of the whole hoof dog chew product.